The Forgotten Tales of Fruits Basket
by Iceclaw14
Summary: A collection of Furuba one-shots. Ranging from romance to adventure and from normal fics to even songfics. I had too many one-shot ideas so decided to just make one story...please look inside. More information in profile.
1. The Letter

Iceclaw14: READ THIS! Okay, good, now I have your attention. So, as you can see this is one story with every chapter a different one-shot. Yeah, I have like five in my head and thought "Well I do not want to have five Fruits Basket one-shots flying about." So I decided to put them all into one story! How smart am I? Now, every chapter will, obviously, have a main focus, some will be romance, others something else blah blah. If I do a romance, it will probably be one of the couples I like, being KyoxTohru, ShigurexAkito, HaruxRin, KisaxHiro… really all the couples that "made it" at the end. So you will be seeing those couples more often than others. Up here I will post when the chappie takes place, the couple and other stuff like that. It'll look like this:

Chapter 1; The Letter

Couples: No main focus, but contains slight inklings of the couples that were fully accented and used in the manga.

Format: Story

Main Characters: None really, but I suppose Akito and Kyo.

Time: Several months after the end of Volume 23.

There, it'll look just like that. Oh, and by "format" I mean like songfic or normal fic…yes I will do songfics. I have this song that fits Kyo and Tohru perfectly. Disclaimer: I don't own anything blah blah.

A single letter was written with a shaky hand, the writer struggled to focus, and placing words on the page was so hard. She wrapped her kimono tighter around her body, nearly choking herself. Despite the cool temperatures, sweat trickled down her face. She bit the inside of her cheek, chewing on the words she wanted to appear on the paper. She took a deep breath, and allowed her pen to roll across the parchment.

She didn't stop until the letter was completed with the simple signing of her name. She stared at it for several silent moments, imagining the look on the receiver's face when the spotted the name of the sender. Would they toss it out like bills or "Help the Community" flyers? Would they be absolutely disgusted by it and tear it up? Or would they not know how to respond and leave her hanging?

A tall man entered the room, also draped in an autumn-time kimono. When he stopped the woman, a doggish smile crept onto his face. He settled down next to her and curled his body around hers, like a snake working to suffocate his prey; except he had no intention of injuring her. She tilted her head back to stare in his eyes. The exchanged a wordless conversation and he nodded. She lifted her neck to gain some height, and he kissed her lips. Hers were sweet, and the taste shifted into his mouth as easily as butter. His were more tart, but still pleasing to the tongue.

Though air wasn't necessary for several more minutes, she broke off their connection. She rose from the floor, having to pause and untangle herself from him before reaching this feat. When she was sturdy on her own two feet, she pulled the parchment from the low table and stepped over the man's limbs toward a computer, which sat gray and lonely on a desk. She pulled up next to it and quickly began coping the letter onto the screen; making constant mistakes and muddling even the simplest Kenji. The man watched her with steady amusement, licking his lips incessantly as through searching for her taste. When she had been typing for nearly an hour with next-to-no success, he sighed and walked toward her. When he came to the long, cushioned bench she was seated on, he sat behind her and wrapped his legs around her. She lifted her hands from the keyboard and he rested his in their place. His hands whirled across the keyboard, swiftly and correctly typing the exact words from the parchment-minus the errors. He skimmed the formerly typed part and fixed her mistakes before pressing "Print" and printing it twenty times.

As the printer buzzed, the two simply stared at the screen, the man mostly because she wouldn't look at him and staring at the back of her head wasn't very appealing. The woman took slow, steady breaths, as though accepting a cobra's strike before it even reeled back. When the printer finished, the woman rose and took the warm papers into her hands. He smiled back at the woman from his seat; a true smile that would force even the most stone of people to smile back. Her lips quivered upward, and she showed her teeth to him. She turned back down and held a pen in her hands, as she slowly and unsurely signed her names on all the letters. She nodded to herself, and in only a short matter of seconds folded all the letters into envelopes. She scrawled down memorized addresses on the outside and summoned an old woman to come and mail them. She took them from his hand and left the room quickly.

He turned back to the woman, whose eyes diverted back to the computer screen. She sighed, and momentarily closed her eyes. When they opened, the man was before her, and he kissed her.

This time, she didn't let go.

Kyo shut the front door of their apartment behind him. In his hand was a collection of envelopes from the mail. He shuffled through them, his eyes closing from sleepiness.

"Junk." He said to the "Donate Now!" flyer, the same went to a bill. "Keep." Was given to a letter from Tohru's grandfather and a message from one of his teachers. He threw away the "Junk" messages, and stowed the "Keep" in a box on the kitchen counter. There was one envelope still in his hand. He flipped it over, reading the address. He stared at if for several seconds, wide-eyed.

A yawn emerged from the hall opposite, followed by barefoot steps. Tohru entered, rubbing one eye. Her hair was a complete mess, fully adorned by knots and tangles. She was wearing long-sleeved nightclothes, covered in rubber duckies and the words "Yay for Duckies!" scribbled all over it in a child's handwriting. Her chocolate gaze shifted over to Kyo, and she brightened.

"Oh, Kyo-kun!" she chimed. "You're up, I'll make you pancakes." She shuffled into the kitchen and opened up their small refrigerator, pulling out cool pancake mix from a blue plastic bowl. She took out a cheap pan from a cabinet and placed it on the stove, which she set to low. She loyally began preparing pancakes while Kyo stood, deadpan, in the center of the kitchen. Torhu was, unsurprisingly, oblivious to his shock.

It took several minutes-and delicious pancakes- for the clueless girl to notice her boyfriend was mesmerized by a sheet of paper; his eyes had not left it. His jaw was gaping open, a slow trickle of drool beginning to slide down his chin. She giggled, and with a smile still on her face she skipped over so she could peer over his shoulder when she stood on her toes.

Tohru was just as shocked. Her eyes quickly skimmed the paper, and then she read it again, more slowly; soaking in all the words like a plant enjoying plentiful sunshine-except in her case, it wasn't exactly expected.

_Dear Former Zodiac member(s), _

_ I would like to invite you to a special ceremony I am holding; in honor of our previous bond. I wish you may all attend; I am near certain you shall all enjoy yourselves. This will be an entertaining ceremony, and it would greatly please me if you would attend._

The letter then stated the address of the Sohma household, and next Saturday's date at noon. Still, it was not the most surprising part. The letter was signed by a shaking hand using too much ink.

_ Akito Sohma, Head of the Sohma Family_

Her eyes skimmed the letter again, and widened and slowed when they came across the signature. She read it over and over again, until she looked up at Kyo and spoke in a gleeful voice.

"Kyo-kun, you _have _to go."

He turned to her, his dark eyes large. "What?" he said.

Tohru nodded, shifting herself on her toes to be more eye level with him. She lacked good balance, so she leaned against his chest. "You have to go," she said again; her voice as confident as it was before.

He stared at her for several moments, absorbing the gleam in her eyes. "Why would I go?" He had to strain to keep his voice stubborn.

She tapped the letter loudly, but kept her eyes fixed on him. "Look at this!" She said. "Akito-sama invites _you_, Kyo-kun don't you know how hard that is?" She swallowed, but had no pause to search for words. "She's asking for your forgiveness. She doesn't want to just be a dark memory in the back of your mind, she wants to be your family member, and she wants to be your friend."

Tohru made a _hell _of an argument. "Kyo-kun, you have to give people a second chance. She wishes to be forgiven. You have to give it to her. "She paused, and took a deep breath. "You have to try, Kyo-kun."

His eyes switched from her to the letter, then back again. The pleading look on his girlfriend's face was too much, and he reluctantly gave in. "Fine," he moaned. "But I don't have to forgive her instantly if I don't want to."

She smiled. "Yea! I'm positive you will though." She backed away, and grabbed two plates that she spooned the warm pancakes onto. "I have maple syrup," she said as she peacefully dragged Kyo to the kitchen table.

"Haru-chan!" Rin screamed; she was racing through the sidewalk, knocking over the occasional innocent pedestrian. She watched the black-and-white haired boy walk peacefully away from her; but she was gaining on him fast. "Hatsuharu!"

He stopped and turned; his eyes blank and his mouth barely moving as he spoke. "What is it Rin-chan? I'm gonna be late for school—"He was cut off of by his furious girlfriend.

"Since when did you care about school?" She hissed, more like a snake than her rightful horse. She seared for a moment, and he stared at her coolly. She gave up on silently affecting him, and rose her clenched fist to his face. "Do you know what this is?" She smoldered?

"Your fist," he replied. "That you've used to hurt me many times before." He squinted. "I think I can see a little of my blood between your fingers…"

She opened up her fist, revealing a crumpled sheet of paper. She pulled it out of her sweaty hand and tore it open, ripping it once or twice. She shoved it in his face. "Did you get this letter?"

He nodded. "Yep."

She let loose her lid, and screamed at the top of her lungs. "What do you mean, yep? Are you going?"

All movement around her ceased. Pedestrians stopped and ones on their phones bumped in those standing ones, and opened their mouths to screech when they spotted an angry teenage girl and a perfectly calm boy; they held their breaths, remembering break-ups from the good old days.

"Yep," was the only reaction.

Rin felt smoke pour from her ears. "_Yep_? Yep? How can you go?" She waved the paper carelessly in his face. "Don't you remember what she did to you? To me? To _us_?"

"She's trying to be forgiven, and I personally don't want an enemy that will probably be with me for my entire life." He spoke clearly and confidentially. "She's serious, mine had tearstains on it."

She opened her mouth to yowl again at him, but paused and hung her head. What the hell was wrong with Haru-chan? How can he just forgive her like that?

She felt a weight on her shoulder, and looked up to see Haru standing over her, his gaze solid. "Look, Rin-chan," he said, his tone lighter. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to. It's all up to you."

The two stood there for several moments, simply staring at each other and doing nothing else. She moved her mouth several times, preparing to speak; but no matter how hard she tried, she always finished fruitless.

She silently watched him go for several breaths until she spoke again. Her voice sounded new to her, fresh. "Haru-chan?" She asked.

He slowly turned, silent. She took a deep breath, and spoke strongly. "You'll be there with me, right?"

Haru smiled. "Of course I will, Rin."

It was Saturday morning, very early. The sun rose gleefully over the horizon, lighting up his room like the stroke of a skilled brush. Kyo had woken up before the dawn, and thrust his head into his hands. He struck his forehead with his fist repetitively. How was he supposed to go to the woman who throughout his entire life planned to shut him up, isolated, in a house separated from the main was? It was her fault he was hated; her fault everyone thought the cat was the worst animal of all; her fault that his mother killed herself.

He sat straight up in bed for an hour or so. Counting his unsteady breathes; he reached about thirty before he paused and let his thoughts swim. Then he had to resume his counting from the beginning. At six, he heard Tohru's alarm go off: a cute little childhood lullaby. He was cruelly awakened from his dozing, and decided that with her currently here, there was no way he would be unable to go. He tore the sheets of his sweating body and a wave of cold hit him, he stumbled quickly through the hall and into the shower, trying to avoid Tohru's gaze. Luckily, she was still lying in her bed; her alarm was not the best, because it quickly lulled her back into oblivion.

He turned the shower on its highest temperature and pressure and slowly disrobed. He felt distant, his mind wandering. By the time Kyo was fully unclothed, the steam in the room reached down to only half a foot from the floor. The warm air helped his clenched throat, but it couldn't help everything. When he entered the shower, he stood until the entire room was filled with steam so much that it hurt his lungs to breathe. It took well over an hour for him to clean himself, but even when he was nice and dry, he still felt dirty.

He brushed his teeth until his mouth felt dry and his teeth as white as pearls. He even took two feet of his girlfriend's floss and stuck it between both sides of each of his teeth twice. He stared in the mirror for ten minutes, he felt like he were swimming though jell-o, his movements sluggish.

Kyo entered the kitchen, eyes bloodshot, near ten. Tohru was making leftover rice into Onigiris with expertise. She didn't look at Kyo as she spoke. "Oh hi, Kyo." She said, concentrating on making her onigiri into a perfect triangle. "What do you want in your onigiri? Plums, cherries, I have it all." She stuck her tongue out and placed a ripe purple plum at the very center of her onigiri.

He sat at the table and thrust his head in his hands. He focused solely on breathing, although his thoughts were jumbled on whether or not it was better for him to suffocate himself of live on.

"Okay!" Tohru said, her voice sounding her smile. "You get a nice square shaped one with a cherry in the middle. Oh, maybe I could flavor mine. A strawberry onigiri? Maybe, I'll save that for later, though."

She hummed a sweet song as she worked diligently, and in five minutes she laid a plate down in front of the orange haired boy, stacked high with onigiri the color of the rainbow. "This one," she pointed at a circular, white one. "Is normal rice, but I decided I should put a tangerine in the center." She rolled off the list of all the onigiris' flavors and contents. She looked back up at Kyo at its conclusion proudly, and her smile faded when she eyed the look on his face.

Her eyes quivered. "Kyo-kun?" She asked, laying a slight hand on his shoulder. "Kyo-kun, what's wrong?" She pulled his hands away from his face and held them tightly in the air between them. He refused to look at her, but the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. His skin was like paper, waxy.

Kyo felt the urge to wrench his hands away from her, but he knew he couldn't. He kept his eyes on the table and he spoke, his voice wavering. "I'm just tired, okay? Nothing's wrong."

"Kyo…" Tohru begged. Then something clicked in her mind. "Oh! I get it! You don't want to see Akito-sama, do you?"

He remained still, working to control his speeding breaths.

"You don't have to worry at all, Kyo-kun." She said, tightening her grip on his hands. She let go with one hand and used it to gently lift his chin to face her. His eyes quickly met hers and were instantly glued to her chocolate pools. "No one expects you to do anything."

She swallowed, brushing back Kyo's hair from his eyes affectionately. "You're not expected to bow down and instantly forgive Akito-sama the moment you see her. You don't have to forgive her at all, you don't even have to go."

He blinked, and Tohru let go of his hands. With one, he rested it on her shoulder. "But I am going," he said. "I'm going." He rose from his seat, confidence surging off of him; he leaned forward and gave Tohru a long passionate kiss on the mouth, sharing their taste. He pulls back and steps out the door brightly.

Tohru smiles, but then she begins to frown. She turns to the large bowl of onigiri and a bead of sweat rolls down her face.

"What am I supposed to do with all these onigiri?"

"Kisa-tan! Hiro-chan!" Hiro's mother, Satsuki, called from downstairs. "Come get some waffles**(A/N: I can't think of any Japanese breakfast foods at the moment….and I really want some waffles right now.)**!"

Hiro yawned, and rose slowly from his bed, rubbing his eyes with clenched fists. He lowered his hands and turned slowly to his alarm clock on the night stand. "8:43," it read, its bright green numbers burning into his eyes.

He tore the covers from his body and stepped unsteadily towards his closet. He pulled out a classic white collared shirt and some shorts. He slipped them on uncertainly, leaning against the wall for support.

A knock on the door knocked him out of his daze. "Hiro-chan?" A high-pitched voice sounded from the opposite side of the door.

Hiro swallowed, struggling to keep his voice from sounding desperate. "Come in."

The door opened a small amount and Kisa poked her orange head through. Her amber eyes searched the room for a brief second before she swung the door open all the way and stepped into the room.

She was garbed in a pink tank top, a long, thin white summer cloak, and a short yellow skirt. Small bumps in her shirt made Hiro's heart speed.

Kisa was staying with Hiro and his mother while her parents were off on a business trip in Kyoto. She ate dinner with Hiro, she talked with Hiro, she walked with Hiro….he felt he could not be happier.

"Hiro-kun!" She giggled. She stepped forward, closer to him. "Your hair!"

He tried to look up, but obviously couldn't see his hair for it was on top of his head. "What about it?"

She laughed again. "How do you get it to be so messy?" She lifted herself onto her tip toes and ran her hands back through his hair. Her delicate fingers caught on knots incessantly. She lifted her hands from his head and grabbed his wrist. "Come on, let's go. I'm so hungry."

Hiro was dragged through the hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen where Satsuki was cleaning a marble counter. Her hair was tied back in a bun and she had a stained apron covering her clothes.

"Morning, Okaa." He said, being dragged by Kisa to the table. The aroma of freshly baked waffles choked his nose. She forced him down into a seat in front of a large waffle then settled in front of one herself. The two dug in ravenously.

"Yes, good morning to the two of you," his mother smiled. "Remember, you guys have to head over to the main house for the 'ceremony' at noon."

Kisa nodded. "Yes, we know." She stuffed more waffle in to her mouth. "What do you think she's gonna do there?" They all knew who 'she' was.

Hiro shrugged. "I don't know, maybe throw Rin-chan out a window again, or someone else this time."

Satsuki gasped. "Hiro! You cannot think that way about Akito-sama. I know she was probably not the nicest person in the past; but we must forgive and forget. Do you think that if she just planned to hospitalize one of the Zodiac members she would invite them _all_ to watch? There would be way too many witnesses."

She was watching way too many of those American court shows.

"Whatever," he stuffed the rest of his meal in his mouth. "Come on Kisa, let's go outside."

The former tiger of the Zodiac nodded and hopped out of her chair. She followed Hiro as he began walking outside down the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets, his eyes cast down to the ground.

Kisa opened her mouth occasionally, but shut it almost immediately. She felt the urge to say something to him, but couldn't find the right words.

They walked in silence for about twenty minutes, Hiro taking enjoyment in kicking a smooth stone in front of him with each step he took. It rambled loudly across the bumpy sidewalk, but the boy continued to kick it as he moved.

Kisa looked down at her watch, only an hour until noon. They had been walking for over two hours. Only then did she realize how sore her limbs were.

"Kisa-tan?" Hiro said, continuing his pattern. Step, kick, step.

She nodded numbly. "Yes?"

"Do you really want to go to Akito-sama's place?"

Kisa chewed on her lip, thinking. "Yes," she responded full-heartedly. "I'm want to because she asked, Hiro-kun. She asked us kow-towing, she had her neck revealed for us to strike."

He cloaked his silence further around him. Though now Kisa had the strength to speak. "Hiro-kun? Can we rest? I saw an ice cream place a little while back."

He nodded. "Sure," his voice sounded unknown to him. "Let's go." He turned around and grabbed Kisa's hand, walking with her steadily back toward ice cream.

He left the rock, alone, between a sidewalk crack.

"Thanks, Kisa-tan." He said, tightening his grip on her hand.

The girl was confused, but still she whispered: "You're welcome."

Akito stood, shaking, in front of the isolated house of the cat. She had gone off to buy herself some clothes, other than a kimono, and was dressed in them now. She must admit it was odd. Even though she had worn women's clothing before, it was still weird. She had on a light sundress that danced with the breeze.

Shigure stepped outside from the main house, cold tea in hand. He was also wearing normal clothing, or at least somewhat normal… she had no idea what to classify it as. A white dress shirt unbuttoned for the first two holes, and long dark pants. His feet were bare.

"Hello, darling." He said as he approached Akito. He kissed her lovingly on the cheek and held out one of the teas to her. She nodded numbly and quickly swallowed it, handing an empty glass back to him. "Never knew you were always so thirsty…" he mumbled. "I'll have to put that down somewhere so I won't forget…"

"Shut up, Shigure." She hissed. "I'm really not in the mood."

"In the mood for what?" He asked. "You should be ready for all of this; oh it's going to be so much fun. I can't wait to see Kyo-kun's face! And Hatori-chan will make me choke… oh this is going to be one of the best days of my life."

"And one of my worst." Akito gasped. She reached forward, taking his tea and swallowing it quickly.

"Hey…. that one was mine."Shigure said childishly. He got the glass handed back to him.

"More."

"I think not, Akito-tan," he responded. "You'll be sick later on tonight and then it won't be any fun for me."

"Shut up." She said. "And don't call me 'Akito-_tan_.'"

"Fine," a smile creased his face. "Akito-_sama_."

"Shut up." She repeated.

He pouted. "You're so mean to me!" He stepped away and back into the house to return the now empty glasses.

During his short absence, Isuzu and Hatsuharu showed up. Haru walked absentmindedly, watching the clouds, his gaze blank. Rin could hardly stand, and she wrapped her arm around Haru's arm to support herself. Her steps were small and unsure.

"Yo," Haru said to Akito. He stopped when he was about a yard away from her. "How are you, Akito-san?"

Before, she would have exploded at his weak display of respect, but she welcomed it. It warmed her insides, and forced a wide small to appear on her face. "I'm fine, thank you Haru-chan. And how are you?"

He shrugged. "I've had my ups and downs lately, just waiting for one of my teachers to decide I'm stupid and send me back a grade."

Rin let go off Haru, her face beet red. Akito couldn't place this sudden wave of embarrassment. "Um…yeah." She forced herself to turn to Akito. "Um—hey?"

Akito nodded, feeling like shit. She was looking at the girl she pushed out a window. "Hey." She choked. She wanted to apologize, but the words wouldn't form in her head.

Fortunately, Shigure, as always, saved her from a mental death.

"Why hello Rin-chan and Haru-chan!" He said in an overly joyous voice. "It has been so long, has it not?"

"Hey sensei," Haru said.

"Tsk tsk," Shigure shook his head. "You really don't have to call me sensei anymore, you know that?"

"It sticks," he responded bleakly.

The Dog laughed. "I guess it does, doesn't it?"

"Shigure-chan," Rin said, bowing her head slightly.

"Ah yes, well you look wondrous today. Your hair grew back splendidly."

Akito felt a spear jab into her heart, again and again. How could he take this so joyfully?

"Um, thank you." Rin responded.

"Are we early?" Haru asked, looking around. "No one else is here."

"A bit," Shigure shrugged. "Ten or fifteen minutes early. Would you like me to get you something to eat or drink?"

The black and white haired boy shook his head. "No thank you, sensei. We ate on our way here."

Shigure managed to strike conversation with the two in a matter of seconds, and Akito stood back, awestruck, at this feat. Even she jumped into the conversation at times. It amazed her how many talents this man had.

Soon, Hatori, Kureno, Ayame, Hiro and Kisa arrived. They all seemed extremely uncomftorable around Akito, and when they spoke to her they stuttered. They called her "Akito-sama," and she struggled to tell them just to call her "Akito-san." When the words managed to escape her lips, the former Zodiac members gasped, but soon temporary smiles were plastered on their faces and laughter was in their voices.

After several minutes of conversation, Kagura arrived in a storm of dust. She opened her mouth wide to scream, but managed to refrain herself from doing so.

"Um, is Kyo here yet?" Akito could tell she was struggling to keep her voice low.

She shook her head. "No, not yet."

For a slight second, Kagura looked like she was about to explode. She took a deep breath, and waited for the red to drain from her face. "Oh, okay."

Next Ritsu came, dressed in a woman's kimono dotted with purple flowers. Momiji arrived with Yuki several seconds later, Yuki speaking about Machi's late night _Mogeta_ moment. Momiji broke out in laughter. "Ernst? She seriously did that?"

Yuki nodded. "Yes, I couldn't believe it at the time either myself. She regretted in the morning though."

Momiji chuckled. "I would too."

Ayame lurched forward, his eyes glittering. "Ah my wonderful brother! I have missed you so dearly."

"Yeah I missed you too, Ayame." He said mockingly. He turned to Akito and gave a small bow. "Akito-san, it is great so see you. You look splendid."

Akito felt herself blush. "Thank you, Yuki. You look nice too."

Everyone in the small crowd began to mingle, sharing stories of the past several months separated from each other. Hard laughter cut through the stone feel of the day and tea was served throughout the crowd.

"Fun, isn't it?" Shigure asked Akito, taking a small sip of his tea. "Have you asked for the stuff yet?"

She shook her head. "No, Kyo's still not here yet."

He nodded lazily. "Ah, don't you find it odd how he is the cat and he is the last one to arrive?" He motioned to a young woman with red hair and emerald green eyes who was serving tea to Ritsu. "Sakura, do you know the time?"

She nodded. "Yes, Shigure-san. Half past noon."

"Thank you, Sakura."

"My pleasure," the girl smiled lightly then walked peacefully away.

"And he's thirty minutes late," Shigure mumbled into his glass.

"Are you trying to make me feel bad?" Akito asked, punching his shoulder. "Because right now you're making me feel like more shit than I really am."

"Ah, but how can you be sure how shitty you really are without a mirror?"

She glared coldly at him. "Go away."

"Fine, fine," He raised his arms innocently. "I'm only trying to help though." He turned and began walking over to Ayame and Hatori.

Akito swallowed. "Wait, Shigure-chan."

He turned his head back. "Yes?"

"Order the stuff to come in, we're starting without him."

"Whatever you say, Akito-_sama_."

"Damn it, Damn it…" Kyo mumbled. He looked at his watch. _12:45._ "Could my life get any worse?"

A grumbling voice responded. "Don't jinx yourself."

The orange haired boy turned to see a dirty old man lying on the floor, a grisly beard growing on his face. "Don't jinx yourself," he said again.**(A/N: I felt the need for a freaky hobo…XD)**

Kyo stared blindly at him for a moment before trotting quickly away. He had been on the subway when his train broke down. He had been forced into darkness for about fifteen minutes, with a crying little girl only a few seats down. He had just gotten off the car.

He stormed quickly through the station, and took the open air graciously. He had only to walk three or so blocks before he was to reach the Sohma household. He had previously been sprinting at the fastest speed possible; but now he came down to a swift walk. The Sohma household… he could not remember the last time he had been there. It couldn't have been so long ago, could it? He could recall incidents where he went to certain places, like Momiji's house to pick up something for Tohru, but he never really walked around freely. He jumped over the gate all those times… he was thankful that even though he no longer turned into a cat; he still had his feline attributes.

Kyo shook his head. He couldn't be late. He needed to do this for Tohru

For Tohru.

He began to sprint, weaving through crowds of people. He felt his heart speed as he came closer to the house, possibly because he was running, and possibly because the anxiety began to pile haplessly upon him. What if they closed the doors on him because he was late? What if the letter wasn't written to him, and they had sent it accidentally? What if it was for Tohru?

He closed his eyes, shaking his head to rid himself of his worries. _No,_ he thought, _the letter is mine. It's for me. They want me to come. Akito-sama wants me to come._

The sudden collision with another person sent them both toppling to the ground.

"Ugh," murmured Kyo. He had used his hands to stop his fall, and settled all his weight on one hand and lifted up the other to his forehead. "S-sorry." He said instinctively. He held his hand downward, towards his victim. A small, smooth hand grasped onto his strong fingers. The fingers were long and smooth. He began to pull the hand up, and he felt the weight ease slowly off of him.

"It's okay," the voice laughed. Kyo's eyes snapped open, and his hand released that of the victim's.

He looked down to see Akito looking up at him, her eyes glowing. A smile tinted her pale face, but it was much darker than when he had last seen her.

She chuckled. "So that's how you treat people you bump into randomly on the street and force painfully onto the ground."

He blinked, and then extended his hand towards her that it hurt. "Sorry," he said again. His eyes never left Akito's.

She grasped his hand firmly and lifted herself onto her feet. "You already apologized."

"But I dropped you," he said.

Akito rose to her full height, brushing dirt off her blouse. "You may be right," she amended. "Well, you're just in time. I was looking for you. We're about to start the 'entertainment.'"

Their hands still locked, she dragged him into the large courtyard. Green grass was everywhere, and the ancient cobblestones had been replaced by smooth slabs of slate. Large trees boasted their fall colors, and their leaves fell in a gypsy dance to the ground. A large group of people stood mingling near the center. After coming several steps closer, he recognized them as all the Zodiac members.

_All_ of them.

"A-Akito-sama…" He mumbled unsurely.

"I don't want to hold such a high place of esteem for you." She said, turning back to face him. "Akito-san, or whatever makes you happy."

"Uh, okay." He said, his eyes wide. "Akito-san."

She smiled. "Better."

Akito suddenly stopped, causing Kyo to nearly trip. "Attention!" She hollered.

All those in the crowd stopped their chatter and turned to face the two. Kyo shifted under their overpowering gaze.

"Now that we are all here," Akito began. "We can finally begin our entertainment." She waved her hand towards a small, isolated house facing the wall that lined the Sohma territory.

"This," she continued, "is the isolated house of the cat. Ever since there has been a cat in the Zodiac they are eventually forced into that house." She turned to Kyo, whose mouth was gaping. "I was trying to have some people come to demolish it, but I decided there would be better way to do this." She snapped her fingers, and servants came from all directions, pushing loaded wheelbarrows in front of them.

One of the servants came up to Akito, and Kyo looked down to see that inside the barrow was a large collection of small, black rocks. Akito nodded to the servant, who bowed then scurried off, and picked up a rock. She ran her fingers across its rough surface.

After a short moment, she released Kyo's hand and pressed the rock hard into his. She curled his fingers around it.

"Go," she said, looking deep into his eyes. They searched him strongly, tearing open all his secrets. "Right there, do it."

He stood there, silent. His gaze flipping from Akito, to the small house, to the rock and back again. His mind was still trying to collect what she was indicating him to do.

The sound of tearing paper ended his thoughts. He turned to the house to see a freshly torn hole in one of the lower regions of its paper walls.

"Damn," a voice cursed from the crowd. Kyo immediately recognized the voice to be Shigure's. "Bad throw, but I was just warming up." Kyo turned to see Shigure, at the front of the crowd, pick a rock from a barrow next to him, and chuck it again. This time, it tore a square near the top of the wall.

Hatsuharu took a shot, breaking some of the wood surrounding the paper. Rin followed suit, her projectile nearly missing its intended target.

More rocks were thrown, but Kyo just stood frozen in his place. He stared down at the rock, then back at the house. He bit his lip, choking down tears. Then threw his rock as hard as he could. It hit some of the wood boundary and tore a hole as large as a melon into the wall.

A smile tore across his face, breaking his astonishment. He picked up another rock and flung it, again smacking the house.

He and the other Zodiac members, including Akito, flung rocks until the house was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Iceclaw14: I hate to end it there, but I must. A cute little triumph thing. There will be another, but next chappie I'm gonna do my TohruxKyo songfic… I'm probably gonna fail miserable at it though. If you want me to do a specific couple, you gotta send a review telling me, because no matter how much I might want to I really can't read minds, sorry. Please review, reviews make me update faster and they're awesome! I really hate the title of this story, like most of my stories, but can't think of anything better. If you have any ideas please send a review telling me, they would be very much appreciated. I'll see you later, bye!


	2. Red Butterfly

Iceclaw14: Hello people! Sorry about the long wait but it's good to be back! Now, I lied last chapter. I said I would do songfic about Kyo and Tohru…but I can't do it! I've chickened out, so instead, this will be a chapter about Kyoko's childhood! Yay! I'm writing this chapter while my allergies are killing me and I'm drinking tea *slurp*. So just know while you're relaxing, I'm making myself loopy with allergy medicine.

Chapter 2: Red Butterfly

Couples: KyoXTohru and KatsuyaXKyoko

Format: Story

Main Characters: Kyoko…..yeah purdy much Kyoko. And Tohru….yeah, Kyoko and Tohru.

Time: Four years after Volume 23.

Let's get this show on the road!

**

* * *

**Tohru finished setting up breakfast at the table where she and Kyo ate most of their meals together. She placed the plate of tamagoyaki at Kyo's usual spot. She came back up slowly, resting her hand at the small of her back. She smiled as she imagined herself looking like an elderly woman. Which she probably did.

When she came up she sighed happily, looking down at the extravagant meal before her. She hoped Kyo would like it.

Just as she thought that he entered the room, pulling a black shirt over her head. She bit her lip, trying to keep herself from giggling. Part of it reminded her if when she first-met the orange-haired man—tumbling through the roof in a storm of wood.

A smile spread across Tohru's lips. Kyo, after straightening out his shirt, looked at her, puzzled.

"Huh? What is it Tohru-kun **(A/N: That's what they called her in the manga, right? Tohru-**_**kun**_**? I can't really remember… Except didn't Natsuki Takaya say she wanted to make her use "kun" even thought it was normally used to for guys to make her kinda balance out beyond her name.)**?" His voice was sweet, and it instantly took on a serious tone. "Are you okay? Is the baby…?"

Tohru cut him off with her laugh. She ran her hand down her swollen abdomen. "Of course not Kyo. I'm only seven months pregnant you know."

He ran his hand through his hair, turning his head to avoid her seeing his reddening cheeks. "Yeah, I know. I just worry sometimes."

She balled her hand into a fish and bent her elbow so her fist came to her shoulder. Tohru made a V-shape with her eyebrows and turned her smile upside-down. "Don't worry Kyo! If I feel any pain I promise I won't burden you with it! I won't make you worry at all!"

"That's not what I mean!" He screamed. "If you're in labor I would like to know so you don't give birth on our floor." He facepalmed, and breathed slowly, trying to calm himself down.

Tohru gave up her angry look. "Oh…okay." She gestured towards their meal. "Why don't you have a seat and eat some."

Kyo nodded and stepped forward towards her, grabbing her by the arm and slowly easing her onto a seat, then sat in his own.

The couple ate in taciturn silence—which was a rarity for the two of them. Whenever Kyo felt there wasn't anything for him to say, Tohru would always jump in with random thoughts and her schedule for the day. The way she was able to talk without him making any signal in return and still believe that he was paying attention made it sincerely seem that the two of them were a happily married couple. This morning, Tohru was busy stuffing her face with the tamagoyaki and radishes. He sighed, but he couldn't blame her. She _was _seven months pregnant, of course.

Even though she tried to hide it, it was obviously hard for Tohru. The morning sickness was probably the worst for her. Every day she wanted to get up and make him breakfast, do the laundry and clean the entire apartment; and even when her face was as green as boiled leeks, she wouldn't stop.

That is until she rushed into the bathroom.

The mood swings came at a close second. Of course, Tohru never got angry or frustrated as one of her emotions—it didn't seem like it was possible for the small woman to ever harbor anything that can be somewhat harmful. When she was earlier in the pregnancy, she would randomly break out into tears, thinking of her mother or the faded curse of the Zodiac. Then the next second she would fret over Kyo like he was a child.

It was sickening, and he was glad it was over.

Suddenly, Tohru stood up. Her eyes were glassy. Kyo shook his head, thinking: She's gonna cry.

For once in his life, he was correct.

"Oh no!" She said loudly, tears forming in her eyes. "I left Mom's picture at Grandpa's house when we visited yesterday!" What's Mom supposed to do there? I need to get her back!"

"Tohru, sit down." He said, remaining in his seat despite her sudden change. "I'll go after work and get it for you alright?" Kyo looked at her, with vaguely concerned red eyes. He knew that part of her stress was due to hormones, but even as the years passed, her mother's picture never lost importance to her. It was kinda cute, in a way.

Her sea-blue eyes fell, and she nodded weakly. "Oh, okay Kyo."

He wiped his mouth and rose, stepping over towards her. He pulled her into a warm embrace, pressing her head into his chest. Kyo held her tighter; to make his arms inescapable. After a few short moments, he loosened his grip, and Tohru squirmed in his arms. She managed to place both her hands on his chest and look at his face. She rose her heels and placed all her weight on her toes, forcing Kyo to step closer towards her—to keep her from falling forward, his chest was not sufficient for leaning a pregnant woman on—and kissed her.

They stayed connected for some time, Tohru's sweet taste dwelling on his tongue. When she pulled away, he licked his lips until he realized how creepy he must look. He felt the color rise to his cheeks, and when he looked down at her, her head was leaning on his chest.

"So tired." She mumbled. Kyo sighed, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up to look at him. Her eyes were exhausted.

"Tohru," he began, "while I'm gone you're going to rest, alright? I don't want you doing anything. You are going to lie in bed all day. So when I come back, the laundry had better _not_ be done, the table better _not _be cleared. The kitchen better _not _be clean." He exaggerated the word not, hoping—praying—she would allow it to get through her skull and she would listen. "Do you understand?" He asked.

She nodded weakly, and he turned her gently around and half-guided half-dragged her onto the couch. He flipped on the TV to the first channel he could find, turned on a light and placed a dozen magazines into her lap. "There." He said. "Now you need to stay here."

With that, he pulled on his coat and walked out the door.

**

* * *

**

The apartment was spotless. Tohru could see herself perfectly in the reflection of the wooden table she and Kyo had eaten breakfast on. The kitchen was impeccable, and she had the rice cooker on, preparing for her to make lunch for when Kyo returned. No dinner. Her grandfather lived over two hours away now, since about a year ago when Kyo got a job offering in a distant city. The newly-weds packed up their belongings and moved to a small apartment here. They had settled in quickly, and Tohru had worked as hard as she could to make it feel like home.

Tohru sighed and turned off the rice-cooker, knowing that she would forget about it and the rice would be left to burn. Now what would she do? She decided to make herself some lunch, and at the sheer thought of food. The child kicked her painfully.

"Ow!" She cried softly, her hand quickly moving towards her abdomen. She rubbed her hand in small, gentle circles as she hobbled towards to the refrigerator. She emptied it of the leftover fish, about to go bad, and a large bowl of boiled leeks.

Yesterday, when Kyo was emptying her stomach into the toilet and taking a shower to refresh herself, Kyo had taken the time to look up a healthy food that would help her with her pregnancy—or something that was simply good for pregnant woman. As though the entire world was still trying to make him suffer even without the curse, the only one that was a food and not an expensive vitamin was leeks. Tohru heard him curse from the shower, and when she exited he was wearing a mask and angrily boiling leeks while a leek soup was bubbling—reminding her of when she felt unwell shortly before she had to retake her exams in her first year of high school.

He cooked a variety of leek dishes until the kitchen reeked of it and the fridge was full of it. Kyo stormed in the room he shared with Tohru and returned with an unopened box of expensive-looking cologne. Shigure had given it to him near a month after Kyo and Tohru announced their engagement. He sent it along with an obscene message and Kyo caught fire. Screaming and yowling, then starting a fire and watching the note burn with a gaze that could only be made by a cat. The cologne was lost in his closet for some time.

He tore open the case with his teeth, making growling sounds. When the bottle was free he sprayed it furiously over the entire apartment until he could barely breathe. Tohru had to step outside to breathe—and eat her leek soup.

She devoured the fish and boiled leeks in a matter of seconds, sighing contentedly and closing her eyes.

"How was that, baby?" Tohru laughed. She had asked to not know whether her child was a boy or a girl wanting a surprise. She was perfectly fine with dubbing it "baby" for two more months. Maybe then, she'll have a good name.

Tohru washed the dishes and placed them in their rightful cabinets. Glancing at the clock, she concluded Kyo would be home in about two and half hours—6:30. No more chores, just relaxing.

She plopped onto the couch and quickly fell asleep.

**

* * *

**When Kyo arrived, he came with take-out. When he noticed the spotlessness of the apartment—how it glowed and sparkled—he scolded her for a few moments until he noticed her pleading eyes. He sighed, shaking his head, allowing a small smile to spread on her face. He placed the bags of food on the counter, and a small cardboard box that Tohru had not noticed earlier.

"What's that?" Tohru asked, pointing towards the box.

"Huh?" Kyo inquired, looking at his wife then following her finger towards the box. "Oh, your grandfather gave it to me when I arrived." He began. "He had noticed you left the picture and he was waiting for me to show up to get it. While he was waiting, he went up into the attic and noticed a small box full of your mother's things."

He pulled open a drawer beneath him, digging through it for a moment before extracting a pair of bright purple scissors. He used them to carefully remove the tape over the box without harming the actual cardboard. When he was finished, he rested the scissors on the counter and opened the two sides of the box. He pulled out Kyoko's picture, which Tohru grabbed from his hands carefully.

She stared at it for some delicate moments, a smile forming on her face as she stared at her mother's. The picture was sacred to her, and it was out of her life she feared she would have nothing else to remind herself of her kindly, orange-haired mother.

She looked up to see Kyo emptying the contents of the box onto the marble countertop. Her eyes followed his hands as he moved them into the box and then out, grasping some small token of her mother's. Excluding the picture, it contained three items:

A small, ragged book with a torn brown cover and yellow pages.

A pair of broken glasses.

Something wrapped in blue cloth.

Tohru stared hard at the trio of items unknown to her. Kyo noticed his wife's puzzled looks, and for a few moments he measured what he should do and the consequences. He concluded that he should give her some time to herself, occasionally checking on her until it seemed she needed him there. He bent down to lightly kiss her forehead, and her face turned upward to meet his eyes. Her blue ones were shining and shaking. He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek with the back of it, before straightening his back, grabbing a bag of the food, some Tupperware and walked into his small closet of an office.

Tohru grabbed the items and moved into her bedroom. She settled onto the bed slowly, working to find a comfortable position that would still allow her to stay some-what upright. She eventually found one, and placed the items against her swelling abdomen, since she would be unable to see them if she placed them on her thighs.

Even though one of the items was unclosed so she had no clue what was in it, the book was what had first captured her attention. Like the other objects, it was in no way familiar to her. She ran her hand against the brown cover, summoning the courage to open it. She sucked in a deep breath, grabbed the lower edge tightly, and pulled it over.

The first words:

_Kyoko _

**

* * *

**_April 1st,_

_Number one: I am _not_ doing this because my parents told me to—or the therapist. OR the guidance counselors, one of my previous teachers or anyone on this earth other than me. Only because now that I'm in middle school, I'll truly begin skipping classes; and I'll need something to do instead of aimlessly wandering the streets. There's no point in skipping in elementary school, there's so many teachers that you can't even get out of your class without getting busted. And, back then, getting busted wasn't fun._

_I'm ditching the opening ceremony. I don't care if they're welcoming me to their goddamn school. I couldn't care less about school. I'm not even sure why I even go anymore. I don't pay attention, I don't learn anything. There are no friends there that keep me coming back, no classes I enjoy._

_It's a bit past noon now. At eight, just before I was expected to arouse for school, I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, and strapped on my sneakers. I grabbed my black bag, stuffing it with my parents' change they leave in a small bowl in the hallway, this book, and a pen, then I escaped through the window. Fortunately, my house is eastern-styled. I used the protruding planks to help climb down safely until I'm about a foot from the ground, when I jump down, landing squarely on my feet. I dug my bike out from some bushes, hop on and began to ride away._

_After about an hour of this, I stopped at a small store and buy a soda and a bag of crackers. I sat on the curb, taking vigorous sips of the fizzy drinks and hard bits of the crackers, while I stared violently at the passing pedestrians. Some of them looked down at me. I knew what they were thinking, "_What's some girl doing here?"_ "_Shouldn't she be in school_?"_

_I couldn't help but smile._

_After some bastard tried to steal my bike, I moved to the side of the store with my bike and began writing in this. _

_So far, this life is nice. I have no one to listen to, no parents yelling at me and hovering over my shoulder. Pure bliss._

_I know when I get home my parents will yell at me again. I'll just shut myself up in my room, turn up the radio 'til I can't hear them, and sit on my bed, flipping through a magazine I also bought in the store. They'd stop knocking vigorously after about an hour, but I'll keep the radio on just as loud._

_I'll show up to school tomorrow, just to see who's in my classes and check up on the teachers. One thing I never plan on doing in failing a grade and having to take it over again. That'll make people think I'm an idiot—and I'm not. I'm not an idot._

**

* * *

**_April 2__nd_

_For homeroom I'm stuck with some fat-ass woman with a lisp whenever she says _anything_. She teaches math, which is the next block. Then comes science, some old man, English, a man who has never been anywhere that actually speaks the language, and for physical education there's some six-foot-tall woman who's obviously on steroids._

_What a fun year this is going to be. _

_The clock is turning on midnight now. But I don't care if I end up showing late tomorrow, I'll just miss homeroom. Most of the kids are the same from last year, and, just as they did last year, they avoid me, like I'm a wolf in lamb's wool. They're not perfect, what makes them think they are? What makes them better than me?_

_After school, I went to the back where I put my bike when I find a mix of girls from my grade and the other grades—some were dressed in the clothes of the nearby high school. They were wearing long skirts that came to their ankles, eyebrows tweezed to a thin line, and surgical masks over their mouths._

_One girl stepped forward. She was about five six with broad shoulders and large hands, arms and legs. She had short reddish hair that curled down to her shoulders and eyes the color of a storm. The skirt of her high school dress danced around her ankles like flowers in the breeze. She was obviously the leader._

_She pulled the surgical mask from her mouth, and she smiled at me. I assumed a hard stance. I wasn't scared, not at all. I just wanted to know what the hell they were doing near my bike. _

"_What's with the look?" She asked in a taunting voice. It was a rich soprano, and when she laughed it sounded like bells chiming._

"_I want to know what the hell you're doing near my bike." I say, feeling the bitterness in my voice._

_She laughed, and the girls behind her stayed silent. I half expected them to laugh when she did, and then she'd be forced to flick her hand to make them stop._

_She leaned against the wall, looking at me with a cool, superior look. "I heard you were the only one in the entire grade who skipped opening." She laughed again. "You should have seen the principle's face when you didn't show. That's the only reason we go, to check for skippers and to laugh at the teacher's faces."_

"_What do you want from me?" I said again, mentally cursing myself for not sounding sourer._

"_Why, isn't it obvious? We want you to join us. You've obviously got more guts and spunk then the rest of your grade combined, and you're not afraid to break the rules. You probably enjoy breaking them." She smiled, and stretched out a large, long hand. "I'm Tadaya."_

"_Kyoko." I responded. _

**

* * *

**From then on, Kyoko's updates became less and less frequent. It became every other day, but after two months, it was twice a week, until it had finally dwindled down to once a month.

She was happier with her gang friends, it was obvious. But Tohru could still feel the anger in her. It had not subsided, but had in fact boiled until she couldn't help herself but to yowl at her classmates and random strangers who gave her odd looks—and her own parents.

Tohru began to choke, feeling hot tears spew from her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her long sleeve. She couldn't imagine this angry child to be her convivial, smiling mother. The mother who had given her all the advice she would ever need in sixteen short years.

She hiccupped, loudly. With that, she couldn't stay quiet, and her soft tears turned into violent sobs. She could feel her face heat, and her mouth fill with saliva. Her heart was pounding hard, and she felt extremely uncomfortable.

Arms wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up to see Kyo embracing her tightly. He looked down at her, and she thought of how pathetic she must look. Kyo held her tighter, and she turned so she could cry into his chest.

After some moments, Tohru was dry of all tears. She had calmed down a sufficient amount, and her breathing was normal, but raspy. Kyo adjusted himself so she was forced to look up at him.

He motioned with his head at the book Tohru held close to her chest. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, and handed the book over to him. He held it gently, staring blankly at the cover for a while. He leaned down, and arranged all the pillows behind him so he could sit up straight and his wife could lean against his chest. He wrapped one arm around her and held the book with the other hand in front of her so she could follow along with him as he read aloud.

Tohru directed him to the page she had just finished, closed her eyes and listened as he turned the pages; causing a crisp sound to invade their silence. When Kyo reached her place, he cleared his throat and began to read aloud.

Kyoko's words sprang to life on her eyelids.

**

* * *

**_April 2__nd_

_There was a new teacher today. He's young, only twenty-one or so. He has short, dark hair and he wears glasses but I don't think he needs them. I was yelling at the other teachers when he showed up. He brought me into my classroom and talked to me, talked to me like no one had before. He took off his glasses to reveal eyes the purest of blue and he pulled up my hair and called me "Miss no eyebrows."_

_He's handsome. Pretty eyes, gorgeous thick hair, a sturdy and strong build. _

_He took me out for ramen, where he talked to me more and inclined about my eyebrows._

_His name is Katsuya. _

_Katsuya Honda._

**

* * *

**_April 3__rd_

_I'm at school again… Honda-sensei looks at me with a smile on his face. He asks me to come to his classroom for lunch—when I usually meet up with Tadaya and the others._

_But I couldn't say no to him._

_Half of me expected him to incline on my outbursts during class, or ask why I showed up on a motorcycle (I stole it over the summer from some bastard who couldn't even steer it). All he did was bring me outside and we talked._

_About him._

_About me._

_About ramen._

_He didn't impose on me at all, but I found myself telling him more than I've ever told anyone before. I told him about my gang, about my first cigarette, about my motorcycle and my coined term "The Red Butterfly."_

_Sensei snickered. "The red butterfly? What kind of name is that?" He looked at me, his glasses sliding down his nose. "You look more like a viper."_

_I hissed._

_He took his glasses, folded them up and put them in his pocket. "So," he began. "Why do they call a monster like you the red butterfly?"_

"_I'm not a monster!" I say, but he only laughs in return. I sigh. "It's because when I ride my motorcycle, I go by so quickly they say all you see is the red taillights in a blur, so that it looks like the spread wings of a red butterfly."_

"_Ah…" He said slowly. "Kyoko the Red Butterfly." He looked at me, a smile in his eyes. "Maybe I should call you that."_

**

* * *

**Kyoko's updates became frequent, until it was at least once a day, if not twice, once before school, once after.

Kyo read on, all about Kyoko and Katsuya. Tohru closed her eyes, trying to picture her father. She didn't know how he looked at all, except from what her mother told her through spoken words and the dairy. That he was handsome. She connected the dots and guessed he probably looked like how she does...maybe. She had to get here eyes and hair from somewhere.

April came and went quickly, and soon it was July in Kyoko's world.

**

* * *

**_July20th_

_Today is the last day of the semester. The bell has rung for summer to begin, and my classmates jumped from their seats and raced to the door. It was as though if they had hung around for a second longer something horrible would have happened._

_It was the opposite for me._

_My hands blindly gathered my stuff automatically, and my eyes remained trained on Honda-sensei. He had removed his glasses and was rubbing his nose with his thumb and index finger. His eyes were closed, and his face was relaxed._

_Finally, I had no more of an excuse to stay. My items were in my bag, and I had nothing left to do than leave. _

_I rose slowly from my seat, trying to be as quiet as possible so sensei wouldn't notice me. I had made it to the door as silent as the wind. I remained there for a short second, resting my hand on the frame of the door. I didn't want to go. But I took the first step forward._

"_Miss No Eyebrows," his voice stopped me._

_I turned to see him only a foot in front of me. His eyes were bright, and they stared straight through me. _

"_I would like to speak with you." _

_I stopped, and straightened myself. "Yeah?" Ugh, my voice sounded so weak!_

_He smiled, his eyes closed. "I would like to meet up with you next Saturday. Are you willing to meet me?"_

"_Why do you want to see me over break?" Better, my voice had hardened. "I'm not an idiot, I don't need help with my homework."_

_Sensei laughed. "I know you're smart, but I would just like to see you." His eyes pierced me. "How about it?"_

_I nodded thoughtlessly. I cursed myself instantly for not saying anything, and the next words slipped out as a clumsy response. "Yeah, sure, whatever." _

"_Good," he responded. "I'll meet you by the train station at 't be late, Miss No Eyebrows."_

"_I won't be."_

_

* * *

__July 28__th_

_I came into the station at 2:45 precisely. Sensei was sitting on the bench, and my heart skipped a bit. I had only ever seen him dressed for school, in white dress shirts, ties and dress pants. Even when I had met up with him outside of school, it was usually just after, so he didn't have the opportunity to change._

_He was wearing a long sleeved black shirt with a V-neck and black trousers. He was sitting with his right foot on his left knee, his left elbow was against the top of the bench—his hand supporting his head. He looked so classic, so young. _

_Heat coursed into my cheeks, and I felt my entire body warm._

_Then, it was as hot as magma boiling in a volcano._

_A pretty woman with long black hair __approached was dressed in a pretty pink sundress. I looked down unhappily at my jeans and t-shirt._

_She dropped a bag she was carrying, and as she bent down to pick it up, Katsuya beat her to it. He grabbed it off the floor for her, and held it out for her. _

"_Here, miss." He said._

_She chucked lightly, a high laugh. "Oh silly me." She reached and took it from him with a graceful hand. She laughed again. "And I'm married."_

_He smiled. "Really? You're so young?"_

_Again, that laugh. "Ah, well I must be going." She smiled at him, bowed lightly, and then walked off._

_I felt myself storm off to him. I wanted to slap him—do something. Tell him I thought he was a jerk and didn't want to go with him._

_When I reached him, he looked up at me, and smiled. It was a pure smile, not the polite one he gave the woman. It was so strong it made his eyes close. _

"_You ready to go?" He said._

_The anger flooded out of me. I nodded numbly. "Yeah." He rose from his seat, and looked at the large bag I carried at my wrist. "What's the for, Miss No Eyebrows?"_

_I felt more heat rush to my cheeks. "Oh," I began softly. "I wasn't sure how long we were going to be gone, so I just packed up some clothes and my toothbrush and stuff." I looked up at him. "So, where are we going?"_

"_You'll see." Sensei extended his hand. "Let's go." _

_I took his hand gently, and he quickly began to weave through the large mass of people. I could hardly hear myself think. I didn't take the subways much, they were always too crowded and I enjoyed the liberating feel of the wind in my hair while I sped on my motorcycle._

"_Here," he said just before taking a sharp left turn, resulting in me almost being squished my someone. _

_I was about to spew some obscenities when the people on all sides suddenly stopped, and I was starng at Sensei. Behind him, I could see the empty spot where the subway went. _

_He spoke with a smile in his voice. "You don't take the subway much, do you?"_

_I shook my head. "Of course not, there's no point in it when I have my motorcycle."_

_We waited in near silence for some short time. He jokingly inquired on how my summer homework was giong, and I responded with a growl._

_The truth was, I had finished it all._

_The subway came, and as it was racing by, Sensei began to look rapidly in both directions before he grabbed my hand again, said something that I couldn't hear over the screech of the train then tore off towards the end of the train._

"_Hey!" I yelled. "What the hell are you doing, you pig head?"_

_The doors to the train opened, but he didn't turn to enter them. He kept running until we came to the last car. He stopped in front of the door, bowed and inclinded with his hands._

"_Ladies first."_

_I entered the car with curses under my breath. He came in my behind me, and two beeps sounded, then the doors closed. A seat was just next to me, so I sat and looked up at him. The car had begun to move, and, instead of the seat some feet away, he grabbed hold of the pole just in front of me. _

"_What the hell was that about?" I asked harshly._

"_I had a feeling you'd like a car with just the two of us in it rather than filled to the brim with other people. Everyone likes being in the front, so these cars are usually empty."_

"_It's a whole lot different than being on my motorcycle, that's for sure." I mumbled._

_He laughed again._

"_How long are we gonna be on here?" I asked._

_Sensei glanced at his watch. "A while. Somewhere between an hour and a half and two hours."_

_My jaw hit the floor. "Two hours? We're going to spend two hours on this train?"_

"_No, we'll switch twice."_

_I sighed. _

_The rest of the trip was lengthly, but nice. We talked about all the things we usually do, and it felt no different then when we meet up at school or at restaurants. Except the fact the floor was moving beneath us. He smiled and laughed and I did so in return. I called him a pighead and he said 'Miss No Eyebrows' with a smile in his voice._

_Accouting everything, it was a pleasant trip._

"_This is our stop," Sensei said after I had concluded a story of when I threw some bastard into a river. "You ready?"_

_I nodded, suddenly feeling how cramped my muscles were. I streatched my arms behind my head and slowly rose. It the train suddenly began to slow, and since I was still unsteady on my feet, it caused me to fly forward._

_Right into him._

_I could feel his heartbeat through my skin. It was almost as speedy as mine._

_I jumped quickly up. "S-stay out of my way?" Shit…how could I say that?_

_He laughed loudly. "Sorry Miss No Eyebrows."_

_The doors opened, and I quickly sprinted out of them. Honda-sensei stepped out behind me, chuckling lightly._

"_Are you done laughing yet?" I hissed. _

_He nodded, a smile set deep in his face. He extended his hand, and I grasped it tightly._

_He led me through enough people to suffocate a horse, and when we came from the building I was in a large parking lot._

_I breathed the air in slowly. It was so pure—maybe I was only saying that because I had been stuck underground for two hours; or maybe it was that the air was unladened with the stench of smoke or any impurities._

_The second thing I noticed was the trees. Beautiful trees. And grass so green it looked like plush carpet. _

"_Where are we?" I asked, turning to face him._

_Our hands were still locked._

"_We're in Kyoto."_

_My eyes widened. "Kyoto? Why Kyoto?"_

_Honda-sensei smiled. "Because I wanted to take you some place amazing."_

**

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**

Iceclaw14: Aw…how cute. Now, first things first. This chapter was supposed to be so much longer—it was supposed to end a whole lot later. But, I looked down at the word count, and it said 5,000 words. I thought "5000! I'm not even half-way done!" So I cut in in half…or about as half as I could. So this little series thing is gonna be really long. Ya see, I wanna do at least one chapter for each of the items. You guys propably know what the glasses are, but I'm pretty sure none of you know what's covered up. The chapters about Kyoko and Katsuya are chapters 90-93 in volume 16, and Kyoko's death in 135. I reread chapters 90-93 to do this chapter, and I cried. IT'S SO SAD! SO SAD! When I first read it, I thought it was sad, but now it made me cry. Poor Kyoko! And Katsuya is damn sexy! Now, for my next chapter I'll probably do the ending part of Kyoko's diary, but I would perfer to spread them out over some chapters. So if any of you guys have an idea or you just want me to write about a couple or anything—_anything—_please tell me. I would love to hear your ideas and maybe write something for you guys! Just say it in a review of PM me. Oh yeah, and that last part, it was supposed to be becuase it was Kyoko's birthday, but then I remembered she was thirteen when she married Katsuaya, and thirteen when she met him, so she couldn't have had a birthday. Now I've gotta go, my nose is bleeding. R&R! See you laterz!_  
_


	3. Father of the Cat

Iceclaw14: Hey guys! Sorry for the long update, I've been uber busy, believe it or not. Anyway, because NO ONE suggested any ideas, I asked my Fruits Basket-loving friend to name the first Fruits Basket character that came to her head, and she said Kyo; so I began writing this story in third person PoV, but I thought it would be better if I did it from first person, and then it came to me that I should switch it to Kazuma's point of view; because I've never written anything about Kazuma before and it was just too good to not do.

Chapter 3; The Cat

Couples: None. Wow, none at all.

Format: Story

Main characters: Kazuma

Time: Starts before volume one, but ends after volume 23; spoilers if you haven't finished the series. I'll say the exact times at the beginning of each section.

While I'm writing this I'm listening to "Lost Heaven" by L'arc~en~Ciel over and over again….Disclaimer: I own nothing other than a love for Japanese rock.

* * *

**After Kazuma adopted Kyo**

Kyo thumbed the beads around his wrist tenderly, like any harsh movement shall cause them to shatter. How he loathed the red and white beads. It was horrid enough that he was the cat, perpetually an outcast to his fellow Zodiac members, but he also bore the burden of the beads. Without them, he turned into a hideous, foul-smelling monster.

Hew I loathed the beads.

"Kyo?" The orange-haired boy did not turn around to see me; he knew the sound of my voice well enough. "Kyo, do you want to practice?"

"No, I don't," the boy scowled in return.

I laughed and slowly eased myself down onto the floor of the dojo next to him. I was careful to keep my back straight as I lowered. I felt too old to walk nowadays—and at only thirty-four. "Sometimes I wonder why you're the cat," I rested my hand on his small, boney shoulder. "I've never met a cat as stubborn as you before."

"Then why don't you dump me in the streets?" He pulled his body away from me, and I rested my hand onto my lap."Isn't that what everyone does to cats they don't like?"

"But I like you, Kyo. That's why I would never throw you into the street."

"No! The only thing that's keeping you from doing that is Akito! The only reason you took me in is so you could suck up to him."

I shook my head. "Akito wanted you thrown into the isolated house for the rest of your life, you know that. I took you in because I wanted to take care of you."

"Why would you want to do that?" He leaped to his feet, like a released spring. "Mom chose death over caring for me, and Dad doesn't want me either. I don't understand why you would want to take care of someone cursed like me."

I could see the tears in his eyes and hear them in his voice. I held my arms open slightly and he leaped into them. Kyo buried his face in my chest; his tiny hands gripped my clothing tightly. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his forehead gently. I rubbed his back and waited until his sobs had softened before I spoke to him.

"You are the most amazing boy I have ever met," I said. "You are only eight-years-old and you are great at fighting and you pick up all the moves I show you quickly and effortlessly. You are kind and caring, and your mother and father made the wrong decision. You're not a disease or anything else of the sort, but a great boy; do you understand?"

He nodded, "Y-yes."

"Now do you want some leek soup?"

"NO!"

* * *

**Shortly after Part One**

Kyo is an angry boy. He's angry at the entire world, he's angry at himself, at Akito and everyone else. Except me; he only seems to smile at me.

I feel awful, watching him eat salmon onigiri on the dojo's porch, his legs swinging off the side. I didn't take him in because I liked him. I hardly knew the boy! His mother kept him inside at seemingly all hours, and what I did hear about him was the rude comments his father made. I took him after the sad death of his mother and abandonment of his father because I feel horrible inside. My grandfather was the previous cat, and I hated him. I know that Kyo is not a reincarnation of my grandfather, but still he reminds me of him. And I foolishly think that by being kind to Kyo it would erase my cruelness towards him.

I was given odd looks by the other adults when I announced that I would care for Kyo. Even Shigure, when my announcement spread to him, caused him to raise his eyebrows as I passed. He was very involved in matters concerning Akito and the other younger Zodiac members, and he told me that he spoke with Kyo occasionally.

"_The boy is furious_," he told me. "_And he's hiding his sadness in regards to this matter by cloaking it with heated anger_."

"_Why are you talking like that?"_

"_Why, I'm going to be a novelist_!"

"_And who in the right mind would be anything you've written_?"

"_Aw, come on, Kazuma. When you're crushing the dreams of a twenty-year-old like me how are you going to convince Kyo that he's not the wreck he thinks he is_?"

Shigure's an idiot, I know that, but still his words shook me. I was way over my head!

**

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**

Two Years Later

I watched for what seemed to be the thousandth time as Kyo fell to the ground, the gray-haired Yuki standing over him. I squinted when I heard the displeasing thump of the orange-haired boy fall to the ground and groan in pain.

"Is that honestly all you got?" Yuki said, shaking his head. "I would have expected you to do better than this; since you have been training with Master for longer than I have. **(A/N: Yeah, I think I'm going to say "Master" instead of "Sensei," just because I feel like it.)**I suppose you can never expect much from the cat."

"What did you say?" Kyo slowly rose from the ground. My eyes instantly went to his ankle—it was red and swelling, he had obviously hurt it during the course of all his falls. I opened my mouth to call off the fighting because of his ankle, but refrained because it daunted on me that Kyo would continue no matter what was said.

Said boy was resting most of his weight on his sound ankle, while the toes of his injured foot hardly grazed the floor of the dojo. Kyo's face was red and swollen from a hit square in the jaw Yuki has served him near the beginning of their battle; whilst Yuki had not a scratch about him.

Kyo growled and threw a sloppy punch at Yuki's head. He ducked and stuck out his leg, knocking Kyo to the floor again.

I waved my hand at Yuki, who nodded and took a step back. Kyo sprung from the floor, hissing. Before he could try to hit Yuki, I interfered. "That's enough. You two did fine; we'll do this again in a bit."

Yuki bowed at me, said good-bye and walked out of the dojo. Kyo, on the other hand, growled like a bear. Can't he decide what animal he is?

"What did you do that for? I could have beaten him eventually!"

"Not on that foot," I motioned towards his injured ankle. "You sprained it."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. Come along, I'll wrap it up and give you something to eat." I walked out of the training area, Kyo grumbling behind me. I took some bandages from a cabinet in the kitchen and filled a large bowl with cold water. Kyo had found himself a seat on a wicker chair and was seated with arms crossed over his chest and his lower lip protruding in anger. I chuckled and placed the bowl at his feet. He gingerly dipped his injured foot in and gritted his teeth in pain.

"That's cold!" He bellowed; but he did not raise his foot from the frigid waters.

I laughed harder as I took a seat beside him. My back cracked when I bent it to sit. I'm getting old.

"I hate that damn Yuki," Kyo's fiery voice penetrated my thoughts of age. "He's so good at everything, and he's the Rat: the first in the Zodiac. I can't do anything right and I'm the Cat."

"You shouldn't compare yourself to Yuki." I tried to comfort him.

"Why not?" He screeched."We're the same age, we're both boys and we're in the Zodiac. Why can't I compare myself to him?"

"Because he's Yuki, and you're Kyo." I whispered just loud enough for him to hear. "Even with those similarities, when it truly come down to it; you guys are as different as you can get."

"I'm gonna beat him one day," he said after a long pause as I began to wrap his ankle that has shrunk back to a normal size. "I am going to beat Yuki and take his place in the Zodiac."

I stopped in my wrapping process and looked up at him. "But why would you want to do that?"

"Because…because no one cares about me!" His voice shook as he spoke, and his eyes were tearing. "They're just waiting to lock me up in that house and stay by myself until I die!"

"No, Kyo." I took his hands and grasped them tightly. "You _know _that's not true."

"But it is!"

"Yes, the Cat is not broadly accepted among the Zodiac, that much is true. But people care about you; _I _care about you. And you, Kyo, are going to fight. You won't give up, just like how you continued fighting with Yuki even on your ankle. You are going to fight until you win."

The boy took in a deep breath and let himself bawl. I pressed his back forward and his tiny hands gripped my shirt. He cried into my chest while I rubbed his back as comfortingly as I could manage. Over the sound of his gaps and cries, I knew he couldn't hear me whisper: _and you will win._

**

* * *

**

One Year Before the First Volume

This was not a good sign.

Not at all.

Kagura was holding a bloody cloth to Kyo's head, who was lying limp in her arms, Hatsuharu was supporting him from the other side. Tears were welling in the Boar's eyes, while Haru looked as stoic as ever. Kyo was bleeding heavily from a long scrape on his forehead, and blood was oozing from the stained cloth onto Kyo's shirt.

"What the hell happened?" I screamed at the two as I stepped back and allowed them to enter. As they passed, Haru nodded at me, and I bit my lower lip. I pointed towards the living room where the two and stuttered, "Lay him down on the couch in there; I'll be back with some bandages in a moment." Haru nodded in return and I turned on my heel in the direction of the bathroom, where I kept the first-aid kit in a cabinet.

I shut the door behind me, turned on the sink, stuck my hands in and splashed the water in my face. I pressed my hands to the sink for support and I stared at the flowing water. I knew that it had been Akito that had done this to him…there was no doubt in my mind about it. But what I didn't understand was _what _Kyo had said to get Akito so angry as to hit him, or even _why_ Kyo was seeing Akito in the first place.

A wave of nausea came across me like rain on a sunny day, and I began to feel light headed. I could only imagine how pale I must look. I gathered what I could of my senses, turned off the water and grabbed the first-aid kit with shaking hands.

Kyo was lying on the couch when I arrived, his head raised by a pillow. Kagura still held the cloth to his head, and Haru was sitting in a chair, staring lazily out the window. When I approached, Kagura removed the cloth from Kyo's head and I got a good look at the scrape. Fortuitously, it was not deep, but it was long. I cleaned the wound with little protest from Kyo—who was out cold and completely oblivious to what was happening—and wrapped a bandage around his head. When that was completed, I turned to Kagura and Hatsuharu and demanded to know what had happened with Akito.

Haru kept his eyes trained outside as he explained to me what had happened with Kyo. "Akito had called me in to speak with him," he began, "mostly just to inquire as to how I was doing, and, when I left, Kyo was outside, arguing with some of the maids. He said he wanted to visit Akito, but they responded that he was sick and could not have anyone see him now. When he saw me exit, he pushed the maids aside and marched into Akito's room, slamming the door behind him. I decided to listen in on what they were speaking about and I waited outside."

There was a long pause, and when Haru did not resume his tale, I urged him on. "Well? What happened? What did he say?"

"How should I know? All I heard was Akito yelling, 'you foolish cat' and the sound of breaking glass. The maids freaked, and Akito opened the door and I saw Kyo lying there, bleeding. Akito told me to help Kyo out, and I did—Kagura met up with me outside."

"Dammit," I cursed. I looked at Kyo's colorless face and said, "you two watch over him, I'm going to speak with Akito."

"No, you shouldn't," Kagura finally spoke. "What would be the point? Akito'll just hurt you too and you know it."

"I don't care."

**

* * *

**

Shortly after Previous Part

I let my feet carry me aimlessly; out of the Sohma household. Out of the block and eventually out of the neighborhood. My thoughts were on a rampage, but eventually I stopped at a small diner and ordered a cup of black coffee from a young brunette. She was in a joyous mood, but she easily sensed my sadness and served me the coffee without any words. I'll have to remember to give her a good tip.

I stared into my cup of swirling blackness, bit my lip and let the tears flow from my eyes. Kagura was right, and Kyo was either a lot stronger than I had originally perceived, or a lot more idiotic.

He had gone to Akito and said that he'll run away; that he won't stay in the all-boys school and just sit by, waiting for when he would be locked into the isolated house forever.

When I myself visited Akito, I was greeted by a slow and soft applause. He was seated comfortably in the middle of the room on the floor, his black kimono further accenting his dark eyes and hair. He gave me a small smile.

I clenched my fist and felt a fiery urge to punch him in the face, wipe that smug look from his face.

He chuckled slightly. "Go ahead, hit me. I'll just have to remember to whack him with more force the next time."

"What did you do to him?" My fist had begun to shake.

He laughed again. "Oh? Is daddy worried about his little boy?"

"What did you do with Kyo?"

"Nothing he didn't deserve." Akito ran one of his fingers along the floor. "But, I must praise you Kazuma; you've given him spunk."

I remained silent; knowing that if I spoke I would be further tempted to strangle him. He was toying with me and Kyo, he was toying with every Sohma. I was suddenly reminded of what happened with Kana and Hatori, and felt the bile rise in my throat.

"Well," Akito continued. "Because of that boy's ferocity, I'm willing to strike a deal with you?"

I blinked. "A deal?"

He nodded. "You heard me."

My eyes narrowed. "What kind of deal is this?"

"I've heard that both Yuki and Kyo are taking up lessons with you, correct?" He didn't wait for me to respond. "And that Kyo has never won once. If Kyo can defeat Yuki before he graduates from high school, I shall accept him into the Zodiac and he shall never have to enter the isolated house."

I took the head Sohma up on his deal, this was the only way to save my son.

**

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**

One Week Before the First Volume

I avoided the foot approaching my head with ease, shifting slightly to the left. The red-eyed boy lost his balance—he had put too much power in the kick. I smiled slightly and forced the palm of my hand into his chest; he gasped and fell to the grass with a thud.

"Come on, Kyo," I laughed mockingly. "If you can't beat an old man like me how can you expect to ever beat Yuki?"

Oh, how I loved teasing him. And I enjoyed his fiery reactions even more.

"That was unfair!" He sprang to his feet and swung out his leg, harshly contacting my stomach and causing me to fall on my back to the ground. I groaned momentarily on the ground, keeping my eyes closed. I heard Kyo's gasp.

"Master! Are you alright?" He rushed beside me and squatted.

I swung out my hand, knocking him to the ground again.

I rose from the ground, laughing like a maniac. Did I mention how much I enjoyed fooling him?

"Haha!" I laughed. "You're so gullible, Kyo."

"That was dirty fighting!" He exclaimed, sitting upright. "You can't do that!"

"And why not?" I questioned the red-haired boy.

Kyo turned away from me, staring out at the forest surrounding us. I was at first surprised when he ran screaming into the dojo, announcing that he was done with remaining at the main house, and that he wanted to escape into the mountains with me. I followed him silently through the forest, knowing that he wasn't planning on staying here forever. When he first raised his fists at me on that first night, I knew he was furious and intent on defeating Yuki.

"Master?" He said eventually.

"Yes, Kyo?" I said, blinking myself from my daydream.

"Do you think I'm ready?"

I already knew the answer. "Ready for what?"

"To beat that bastard, Yuki!"

I shrugged. "I don't know, Kyo. He's probably been training during all this time, maybe he has someone else to teach him. He has natural skill and he's very nimble, while you get angry very quickly, and then your moves became sloppy and weak."

"I'm going to beat him," he grumbled, whipping the sweat from his forehead. "I'm going to beat him and become one of the Zodiac, just like Akito promised; right, Master?"

"Well, fighting with me all the time isn't going to help much—you are gaining valuable skills, but Yuki's fighting style is different from mine. We both handle fighting much differently."

"So you're saying that I should fight Yuki all the time until I grow used to his battle style?"

"Not all the time, he already knows enough of your weaknesses—"

But Kyo was gone. He had packed up his stuff and vanished completely.

I laughed. "Off to fight Yuki already, huh?" My smile faded, and my voice lowered to a whisper. "Just be careful."

* * *

Iceclaw14: I really like Kazuma now, I really do! I never thought he was such a cool character until this. Anyway, because I now adore Kazuma, I might do a continuation of this story following Kazuma in other key points, like when he removed Kyo's beads or maybe encouraging Kyo to confess his love for Tohru or something. But, for now, this is it. Review!


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